11 Fresh Black Friday eCommerce Strategies to Soar Your BFCM Sales
eCommerce is booming, and Black Friday allows store owners to earn attractive yields on their investments by driving website traffic and conversions. However, relying on the same traditional marketing methods won’t add value nowadays.
The buzz around Black Friday intensifies as the holiday season knocks on doors. It is believed that over 90 million people in the USA alone shopped online on Black Friday, and this year, it is predicted that this number will go high.
November 29th is just around the corner, and whether you own a large eCommerce store or just entered the industry, the key to success lies in innovative Black Friday strategies and detailed planning.
This blog unveils essential insights to keep your eCommerce business shining. Are you ready to make this Black Friday your best one yet? Keep reading on.
Black Friday Statistics You Need to Know in 2024
Black Friday starts the day after American Thanksgiving and marks the beginning of the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. In 2024, it falls on November 29th.
The meaning of Black Friday has historically been a description by the Philadelphia police in the 1950s of the crowded traffic and chaos that occurred on this day as shoppers attended brick-and-mortar stores. On the financial side, it is the day when retailers “go into the black,” turning a profit after operating “in the red” for much of the year.
Over the years, Black Friday has grown from one-day in-store sales offers to a vast international online shopping day. Retailers give tremendous discounts, not only in physical stores but also online. Millions of shoppers look for great deals there.
(Source: Statista)
So, with this in mind, here we have enlisted some jaw-dropping Black Friday statistics you need to know, including,
- Online shopping is booming, with over 45% of consumers choosing eCommerce stores to purchase during Black Friday.
- According to the research conducted by Adobe, total spending is anticipated to reach $240.8 billion in the year 2024, between (29th Nov. to 31st Dec.).
- Another research by DriveResearch said that most Americans believe they will find better deals on Black Friday.
- Over 23% of women think retailers increase their prices before Black Friday to offer huge discounts.
- It is shocking, but Amazon, the most popular eCommerce platform, captured up to 17.7% of Black Friday revenue.
From the above statistics, we can admit that Black Friday eCommerce strategies help you boost sales. As consumer preferences keep evolving, stores must adapt their marketing strategies to stay ahead.
But why is Black Friday a “sweet spot” for eCommerce business owners? Let’s discuss the same in our next section.
Why is Black Friday Such a Big Deal for eCommerce Store Owners?
Black Friday has been likened to a global phenomenon, where eCommerce store owners can expect increased traffic, sales, and brand exposure. For digital entrepreneurs, it is more than just about offering discounts; it is about generating maximum revenues during the season and fostering lasting customer relationships.
One of the vital reasons Black Friday is such a big deal is the massive volume of consumers looking for hot deals. With consumer’s increasing inclination towards online shopping, the demand for a swift and secure shopping experience is higher than ever.
- Store owners can’t ignore the importance of preparing for Black Friday.
- It’s high time shoppers were actively looking for the best deals, and businesses must ensure their websites are fully functional and optimized to handle the sudden traffic surge.
- Poor performance, slow loading times, sudden crashes, etc., can result in lost sales and customer trust. To overcome this, hiring experienced eCommerce developers is necessary.
In a nutshell, Black Friday is not just another ordinary day- it’s a hot deal to generate massive sales, attract customers, and increase brand image. The proper preparation, backed by technical expertise, can turn this day into a lucrative one for your store.
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11 Strategies to Ace Your Black Friday eCommerce Sales
Black Friday is about to start, but some things will never change. And one of those forever truths is that your online store has to work best across all platforms, whether on a tablet, web, or app.
Slow loading speeds, crashes, or other technical issues from a poorly optimized website may discourage users from finishing their transactions. This section offers Black Friday eCommerce strategies to help you avoid these mistakes and set up your website for success.
1. Build on Hype on Social Media
We can’t afford to ignore social media because more than 5.17 billion people are actively using these channels. Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., are powerful tools for engaging audiences and creating hype around your Black Friday sale promotions.
Studies reveal that more than 53% of American shoppers use social media to make purchases. Start building social media marketing strategies, keep posting about your offers and try to capture the audience’s attention. Collaborate with influencers in your category to promote products and services, as they can help you sell more products while building your brand credibility.
2. Opt For BOGO Promotions
People are obsessed with BOGO promotions. Give your customers a strong reason to buy more products from you. BOGO- buy one, get one- is where customers buy one product and get a similar product for free. By offering BOGO promotion, you can also create FOMO among customers, and this helps you drive massive traffic to your store.
(Source: Voucherify)
In the above image, we can see how people prefer this approach over anything else. Customers are more likely to convert when they get more for their money, which more often boosts order value. From an eCommerce perspective, executing BOGO also requires careful inventory planning so that you can increase sales without sacrificing profitability.
3. Make Sure Your Website is Responsive
Heading towards the digital era, entrepreneurs can’t afford to design non-responsive websites. With an increasing number of shoppers ordering products through smartphones, your site must perform well across sizes of devices. Such a responsive design will provide a better user experience and, thereby, a greater chance of conversion.
Suppose your website is challenging to navigate on a smartphone or tablet. In that case, that’s highly likely to make you lose several customers, especially when targeting high-traffic events such as Black Friday.
For instance, if you run a restaurant app, it would be good to ensure responsiveness because people might want to order or book reservations from their mobile devices. A perfect mobile experience may boost customer satisfaction and loyalty and therefore, becomes a need for businesses’ success this Black Friday.
4. Audit Your Checkout Flow
A smooth checkout process will reduce cart abandonment rates and ensure a seamless customer journey. Given that traffic surges during Black Friday, auditing your checkout flow is more important than ever. A confusing or time-consuming checkout just frustrates customers, who leave the cart behind uncompleted.
Focus on simplifying each step, reducing the number of fields customers need to fill out, and offering multiple payment methods to cater to a diverse audience.
Additionally, auditing your checkout flow for security and speed is essential. A fast, secure, and easy checkout process will encourage shoppers to follow through with their purchases. For eCommerce sites, a seamless checkout can be the difference between a sale and a lost opportunity, especially during a busy period like Black Friday.
5. Offer Discounts to VIP Customers
Rewarding your premium customers with a certain discount is a smart way to express loyalty towards them. These customers are brand advocates, so special deals will make them valued for support. These loyal customers also share their great experiences by acting as free marketers for the business.
Use eCommerce strategies such as segmentation and automation to take it one step up for targeting the top customers. Send them an early access code or an exclusive coupon to motivate them to shop over Black Friday.
6. Free Shipping
Free shipping during Black Friday is one of the best ways for the seller to propel shoppers to complete their purchases. Shipping costs are often a dealbreaker for customers, with many abandoning their carts when they see unexpected shipping fees.
The barrier you have just moved for customers is that of shipping, as offering free shipping automatically tends to soften the barrier to sales. In the case of Black Friday, you can provide free shipping for certain values that will increase your average order value.
Besides, offering free shipping is an excellent way to stand out from competitors. It’s one tactic that would cut with the customer and the most significant way of increasing sales and improving customer satisfaction.
7. Fine-Tune Your Marketing Activities
It has been observed that Black Friday is one of the best shots to enhance your marketing skills and thus improve the brand image. Whether in emails, social media ads, or working with influencers, make sure your marketing efforts are top-notch.
Black Friday should be mentioned as a day of specials and doors closing, so the emphasis should be placed on the word “time.” Use behavioural data in timing promotional efforts so that they are at their peak when the customer is most active.
The need for enhancing marketing also requires the identification of past marketing strategies to understand the degree to which they were successful or failed. For instance, A/B testing can be useful to determine which message resonates more with your customer targets.
8. Site Performance
Website performance is highly important for the Black Friday sale. Probably some of the causes that may prevent your customer from purchasing from your website include some technical difficulties or slow loading time, especially when you have a great traffic period such as Black Friday. Run a site speed test and ensure you fine-tune your site before you go for the actual test.
9. Update Your Product Images
When it comes to online shopping, catchy visuals play an important role. Customers will browse an immense number of options during Black Friday, so your product images should stand out. High-quality and creative images allow customers to stay hooked and awaken interest in your product or services.
Well-lit, professional photos are more likely to foster trust and lead to conversions.
10. Leverage Chat Widget to Answer Pre-Sales Questions
Having dedicated customer support during black Friday will put your business in a position of advantage as compared to your competitors. When these many individuals are visiting shops, your support team must be capable of answering your customer’s questions or addressing their issues promptly.
Regardless of which channel represents the live chat, email, or phone support, that will lower the anxieties of the customers and bring the sale. Some of them are to implement a Frequently Asked Questions section or chatbot through which most of the queries could be handled. Developers can, therefore, be hired to build a good system of support so as to communicate with them better and offer an overall experience.
If you want to upscale, their customer support can benefit from chatbot app development, which helps automate responses and offer round-the-clock support to users, ensuring no customer query goes ignored or unanswered.
11. Price is not the Only Thing That Matters
During a Black Friday sale, it is evident that the product with the lowest price wins. Offering the lowest price isn’t the sole strategy to draw in new customers, though. Use gift cards, cashbacks, and coupons to entice your customers to buy.
Additionally, you can use cross-selling strategies. Above all, remember to include shipping. Many clients would be deterred from purchasing if the pricing is appealing but the delivery charges are excessive. Think about whether you can provide your clients with a free or less expensive delivery option.
A successful Black Friday marketing strategy requires detailed planning. By following the above tips and techniques, you can create robust Black Friday marketing strategies that not only boost sales but also help you build lasting relations with customers.
The Importance of Having a Scalable eCommerce Store During BFCM
During Black Friday and Cyber Monday, eCommerce sales experience a massive surge, with more and more consumers wanting to buy products at discounted rates. For online store owners, this is a hot opportunity to generate revenue and sales, but it also comes with certain responsibilities to manage this colossal traffic.
- Having a scalable eCommerce store is crucial for handling this high volume of visitors, ensuring a smooth shopping experience, and preventing potential glitches or slow load times.
- A scalable platform allows your store to grow and adapt as traffic spikes, providing the flexibility to expand during peak seasons and maintain optimal performance year-round.
If you are clueless about how to build a scalable online store, it would be better to collaborate with an experienced eCommerce development company as they can help you design, develop and manage a customizable store that can scale effortlessly with demand, offering features like swift checkout and smooth user experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
BFCM stands for Black Friday and Cyber Mondays.
Setting up automated chat menus, updating your website offerings, and activating computerised workflows in your dedicated customer support desk, etc., are certain things that you can perform before Black Friday knocks on the door.
To retain customers after Black Friday, focus on personalized marketing strategies in terms of emails, notifications and discounts that attract customers to stay connected with your brand.
